| Download the amazing global Makindo app: ✅ Means NICE/National Guidelines 2026 compliant Android | Apple | |
|---|---|
| MEDICAL DISCLAIMER: Educational use only. Not for diagnosis or management. See below for full disclaimer. |
Acute angle-closure glaucoma 🚨 👁️
Acute angle-closure glaucoma — painful red eye 🚨 👁️
Sudden blockage of aqueous outflow raises intraocular pressure and can rapidly damage the optic nerve; nausea and headache may dominate the presentation.
🔎 Recognise
Consider a severely painful unilateral red eye, blurred vision or haloes, headache, vomiting, a hazy cornea and a poorly reactive mid-dilated pupil. Distinguish from simple conjunctivitis.
🛟 First actions
Urgently telephone ophthalmology and arrange emergency assessment. Record visual acuity, observations and analgesia needs; follow the eye specialist’s pressure-lowering protocol rather than empirically combining drops.
🧪 Investigations and reassessment
Review medication exposures that can precipitate angle closure. Tonometry and slit-lamp examination should be performed by a competent clinician without delaying referral.
⚠️ Common pitfalls and escalation
A patient with vomiting and headache may be labelled migraine or gastroenteritis. Do not wait for a routine optometry appointment when the red-eye symptoms are acute and severe.
UK reference: NHS vision loss. Focused editorial source check, 7 November 2026; this is not independent clinical or pharmacy sign-off. Verify current local policy, BNF/BNFC and specialist advice before treatment. Not a prescribing protocol.
Related guides: Red or painful eye — FY quick guide ⚠️ 🚑 · Eye pain/discomfort ✅
| The content on this website is provided for educational and informational purposes only to support exam preparation (e.g., MLA, MRCP, USMLE) and learning. This is NOT medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional guidance. It does not replace consultation with a qualified healthcare professional, official guidelines (e.g., NICE, GMC, BNF), or supervised clinical practice. Always verify information with current, authoritative sources. Makindo and its contributors accept no liability for any reliance on this content, including errors, omissions, or any resulting harm, loss, or consequences. By using this site, you agree to these terms. |
|
|
Categories
- Acute Medicine
- Anaesthetics and Critical Care
- Cardiology
- Collections
- Dermatology
- Differentials
- Drugs
- Electrocardiogram
- Emergency Medicine
- Endocrinology
- ENT
- Foundation Doctors
- Gastroenterology
- General Practice
- Genetics
- Geriatric Medicine
- Gynaecology
- Haematology
- Hepatology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
- Investigations
- Mental Health
- Microbiology
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Neurosurgery
- Obstetrics
- Oncology
- Ophthalmology
- Oral Medicine and Dentistry
- OSCE
- Paediatrics
- Palliative
- Pharmacology
- Physiology
- Procedures
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Radiology
- Respiratory
- Resuscitation
- Revision Topics
- Rheumatology
- Stroke
- Surgery
- Toxicology
- Trauma and Orthopaedics
- Urology
- Vascular Surgery